A lorry driver died when his vehicle was blown over as winds of up to 80mph hit Britain ahead of forecasts for snow and blizzards.
The 45-year-old man died when his HGV was swept into the central reservation near to junction 38 of the M6 in Tebay, Cumbria at around 5.30am.
High winds also forced the temporary closure of both carriageways of the M6 near junction 44 after a lorry jack-knifed. Road restrictions were also put in place on the A66 at Stainmore, Cumbria, while a camper van which had been toppled by the winds was recovered.
Meanwhile, the busy Forth Road Bridge, west of Edinburgh, is closed to northbound traffic after a lorry overturned in the stormy conditions. Restrictions are in place on the Tay and Erskine bridges, and further north there were also warnings on the Skye and Kessock bridges.
Around Aberdeenshire, police warned that heavy snows, fallen trees, and a number of other minor incidents were causing problems for motorists.
In the southwest of the country, fallen trees led to road closures and blocked a number of minor roads. And in the South East, the Port of Dover was closed to shipping movements at 8.20am due to gusts of up to 60mph.
As temperatures plummet over the coming days, forecasters said temperatures in Scotland could reach "minus double figures" overnight.
A forecaster for MeteoGroup UK warned: "We will have some sweeping snow showers in Scotland. The main danger is as we move towards tomorrow - an area of snow will again sweep down from Scotland.
"Most places will have a thin covering of snow and north Wales will get quite a bit of snow tomorrow."
In England and Wales temperatures are set to hit a low of around -3C (26.6F) on Friday night.
He added: "A pretty biting northerly wind will be coming in with the low temperature, adding to the wind chill factor."
Motorists taking to the roads were warned to prepare for very icy conditions. The cold snap will mark a significant change after a mild January, but forecasters say it will be short-lived, with a return to milder conditions by the start of next week
